BEIJING (Jan 29): China agreed to relax rules to allow some visa-free travel for British citizens on Thursday during a visit by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Beijing, as part of a partnership deal which London hopes will help expand its service sector. British citizens will be allowed to visit China without a visa if they are travelling for under 30 days, Starmer said following his talks with President Xi Jinping, in what he cast as a win for business. Companies had been "crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China", a statement from Starmer said, adding that visa-free travel would help facilitate expansion in that market, boosting jobs at home. Injecting growth into Britain's relatively sluggish economy is one of the main aims of his four-day trip. Britain exports £13 billion (RM70.49 billion) worth of services to China annually, it added, and demand from China is growing.

Source: The Edge Markets January 30, 2026 01:43 UTC